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Efficient and effective storage within a warehouse can often be a bit of a challenge, and that’s without even considering proper safety standards – which you should be doing, of course! Particularly if you have a smaller warehouse and limited storage, it could be tempting to cut some corners (not literally, as that wouldn’t be optimizing your storage!) in regards to safety standards, but it is crucial not to fall into this trap. Instead, you need to balance efficiency and safety to maximize storage space and protect your workers. And here’s the best way to do it.
Take A Look At What You’ve Got
Conduct A Storage Audit
Start from square one and assess exactly what you’re working with. Map out the current storage setup, including any aisles, racks, shelves, and pallets; use this to then identify which areas are potentially underused or set up less effectively. How is your inventory organized? You may see some excess stock that is taking up space that could otherwise be used. Be brutal and remove obsolete stock, or else it could hinder the efficiency of your warehouse.
Check Your Safety Regulations
Safety is vital in order to protect staff members and reduce the risk of injury at work. With a safe environment, your staff will be more productive and can work more happily in the knowledge that their work is less likely to affect their health. If you don’t properly follow safety standards, then it could result in fines and potentially even lawsuits, as well as affecting your company’s reputation.
Check your local laws to see what is required. It could even be a good idea to consult a health and safety professional to make sure you are fully complying with industry standards.
Space Saving Strategies
Cage The Chaos
Keep your stock organized but also secure. Using a wire security cage can be a great way to keep certain items under lock and key, but also archived in a smart way. With durable mesh caging, there is clear visibility and lots of air circulation to help maintain good security and ventilation. The heavy-duty wire ensures that there is no bending and risk of breakage, which could cause hazards otherwise. High-demand products can be placed strategically to enable easy access.
Look Up – Use Vertical Space
Making the most of your vertical space is one of the easiest ways to start utilizing the room you have. Installing taller shelving means the dead space higher up can be used. You can look into using narrow aisles to limit the amount of walkway and forklift space that could be used as storage. This may require the use of narrow aisle forklifts, but it is often worth the investment. Do ensure to check weight restrictions and distribution requirements.
Learn Your ABCs…
The ABC analysis method is as easy as your ABCs. Simply tag your items according to their demand. “A” items are the ones that are used most, so they should be stored in accessible locations. “B” and “C” items are the ones that are moved less, so they can be placed in less frequently accessed areas. This method can reduce retrieval time and ensure efficient use of space. Sometimes, you will need to take other factors into account, though, such asthe size and weight of items – especially to ensure that you aren’t compromising safety standards.
Smarter Storage
We’re humans, we can make mistakes – so why not use “smarter storage”? Using automated storage systems can limit the risk of human error, make better use of space, and reduce other restrictions to do with human workers. Depending on your budget, you may be able to look into mobile racking systems that can actually operate on tracks that can move laterally. Therefore, capacity and workplace safety are improved by minimizing manual handling, which can often lead to strained backs, broken toes, and worse!
Use A Warehouse Management System
We just spoke a bit about the use of technology in storage optimization, but there are some more subtle technologies that can help manage your stock and how it’s stored. Using a reliable warehouse management system is the easiest way to track inventory. This way, you get up-to-date and accurate visibility on inventory count as products are received, stored, moved, and shipped; this is particularly handy if stock is frequently moved around.
These systems majorly reduce the risk of human error when it comes to stock records, which means you’ll know exactly which stock is where, meaning less lost stock and the ability to identify zones that have more space. It also prevents overordering and overcrowding in areas, which could be a safety concern as well as a storage concern.
Room To Spare, Risks Nowhere
When finding places to put shelving, don’t forget to keep emergency exit signs clear to ensure quick evacuation should something go wrong. When it comes to actually placing things on shelves, always keep an eye on weight distribution to avoid overloading, which could cause a collapse. Using safety barriers and netting around storage is an extra layer of protection that could be considered in the event of falling inventory (but if you have proper systems in place, this shouldn’t happen – but better safe than sorry!).
Training for a Smarter Warehouse
Regular staff training is crucial to help with safe storage practices. After all, they’re the ones actually out there handling stock and moving inventory around. Knowing the best practices and what to do when something doesn’t seem right can help prevent the mishandling of inventory, which could affect warehouse storage. Don’t forget to praise employees who are proactive when it comes to health and safety to encourage others to do the same. Health and safety training will also ensure that they don’t unknowingly compromise safety standards.
So, in summary, following safety standards doesn’t have to affect how optimized your warehouse storage is. With a good plan put in place after you’ve assessed your current layout, you can install high shelving, more organized and secure caging, make good use of technology, and categorize items according to how often they need to be accessed. Training staff can ensure both safety and good storage practice as well.
Further Reading:
Guide to Streamlined Salesforce Document Signing for Businesses
